The present invention is directed to an improvement in blade mounting assemblies and more particularly to an improved mounting assembly for mounting a dozer frame which supports a dozer blade of the type disclosed in Davis U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,110, assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Numerous proposals have been made for supporting a dozer blade on a vehicle which permits varied motion of the blade, for example, raising and lowering, tilting, and angling the blade with respect to predetermined reference planes.
In the arrangement disclosed in the Davis patent, the mounting frame for the dozer blade is supported on a vertical column which is fixed to the vehicle frame and is shiftable along the vertical column through a fluid ram to raise and lower the blade with respect to the ground. While such an arrangement is acceptable, it requires that the mounting frame be located sufficiently rearwardly so as to be clear of the wheels when the frame is in a raised condition.
The above mentioned patent also discloses a unique manner of supporting a dozer blade on a dozer frame which is capable of automatically shifting the blade laterally as well as angling the blade with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The blade can also be shifted away from the vehicle. The structure disclosed in the Davis patent has been used successfully on a commercial basis for sometime. However, in order to increase the versatility of such a unit, it is also desirable to be capable of tilting the blade with respect to a horizontal reference plane.